


lightsabers and blasters

by ninefish



Series: if i stay here, trouble will find me [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: (soon to be) found family, Anakin Skywalker is Trying, Gen, names are important
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:54:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28394964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninefish/pseuds/ninefish
Summary: Anakin meets the 501st legion.
Relationships: 501st Legion & Anakin Skywalker, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker
Series: if i stay here, trouble will find me [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1719697
Comments: 15
Kudos: 159





	lightsabers and blasters

**Author's Note:**

> Set after chapter 5 of the glass tower!  
> (this is a part of my AU in which the major difference pertaining to this fic is that windu was anakin's master instead of obi-wan! basically anakin's just a bit more mentally stable lol. enjoy!)

The day that Anakin Skywalker was assigned a legion and leadership he laughed. 

Because General Skywalker found it absolutely fucking  _ hilarious  _ that anyone thought him capable of leading men into battle. Especially when it was expected that he wouldn’t be piloting— “too busy  _ leading _ ” and such. Yeah, right. If Anakin was going to go into battle he was damn well going to be leading the charge.

But the first time Anakin met his command, he wasn’t laughing.

Torrent company was their name, just a fraction of the men he would lead.  _ Men _ , he reminded himself, looking in the unmasked eyes of the captain—  _ his _ Captain. Because even if these men were labeled with the tag of  _ clone _ , they all breathed the same, talked the same, bled the same as any other soldier or Jedi.

He was faced by the daunting realization that he was responsible for these men’s lives.

“What’s your name, captain?” Anakin asked cooly, controlled.

He might’ve been young, but he wasn’t naive. Wasn’t stupid. He was going to see as many of these troopers home as he damn well could. 

“CT-7567, sir,” the Captain said, his face calm and collected. His dark eyes shone but never twitched or strayed away from the distant spot on the horizon he stared at. The eyes of someone taking orders. Something in Anakin twisted at the thought. Numbers and people rang far too close to long hours toiling in the sun, surrounded by dust and ever-present death.

“I asked for your name,” Anakin repeated. He stared at the trooper intently.

The Captain didn’t look away, but there was an understanding, a submission. “Rex, sir.”

It was an admission, but one dragged out. Anakin cursed himself. If he was going to lead, he didn’t want _ that _ — didn’t want blind submission,  _ obedience _ . It made his stomach curl.

Anakin didn’t intend to become a  _ master _ .

He acceded, dipping his head. “Thank you, Rex.” 

He turned to the rest of the company, all in perfect attention, chins raised and eyes forward. Like toy soldiers. They seemed to stiffen under his gaze. They couldn’t know that they weren’t to blame for his frown and furrowed brow.

“Helmets off, troopers,” Anakin called out. He began walking, watching as identical faces emerged. But still— not identical. 

The clone troopers were as identical as the dune sea seemed similar to an off-worlder. But here and there, there were differences. And Anakin noticed. 

“Listen, I intend to know you all. And that includes your names— your real names, not designations,” he announced. “There may be a chain of command and I expect it to be followed— that’s how the most people stay alive. But I don’t intend to run a dictatorship here. You all are highly trained, intelligent men. If you have an idea— follow protocol— but speak up. Whatever you have to say— I want to hear it.” 

Anakin looked them over. They were disciplined— hardly a movement among them. But he could see, the slightest twitch, the quick side-eye— they were thrown off by his speech.

He began at the first trooper beside Rex. His head was shaven and he stood at attention.

“What’s your name, trooper?” Anakin asked, trying to soften his voice.

The clone straightened. “CT-6116, sir.” At Anakin’s continued stare, he continued. “Kix, sir.”

“Good to meet you,” Anakin nodded. He looked over Kix’s armor, noting the red sigil painted onto his left shoulder plate. “You’re a medic?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good— we’ll be needing it,” Anakin said dryly. He moved on to the next man. “What’s your name?”

“CT-5597, sir. Jesse,” he spoke, adding his name.

As Anakin moved through the men, they were quick to catch on, offering their designations and names. It became apparent that Anakin was really only interested in their names and soon only those were offered.

“Del, sir.”

“Ged, sir.”

“Hardcase, sir.”

One clone in particular seemed to shift beneath his gaze. He bore an intricate v-shaped tattoo on his face. Anakin approached him. “What’s your name?”

“Dogma, sir.”

“Do you have something to say, Dogma?” Anakin asked.

Dogma looked to the side, breaking attention. Then he seemed to remember himself, straightening. “Sir, this is all highly unusual. We were trained to follow protocol.” Unspoken—  _ and this isn’t protocol _ . A pause. “Sir.”

“You’re right,” Anakin said finally. “This isn’t strictly by-the-book. Forces are led at command’s discretion, and  _ I _ am your General. I don’t intend to treat you as pieces on a game board. Some other Generals may treat that as their strategy, but Jedi are taught that all life is sacred. Some have qualms if that includes clones— I do not. This is one thing I won’t compromise on.”

The murmurs subsided, leaving an air of silent surprise throughout the troops. Anakin held back a smile— he had to look  _ some _ bit a stern, respectable General.

(But, unknown to Anakin, he already did have their respect. Not because of his status as a General, or power as a Jedi, but because he was the first to  _ listen _ and see them as more than people. Because good soldiers follow orders but those soldiers also have  _ names _ . 

After that moment, the 501st would’ve followed him through lava if he’d asked for it.)


End file.
